by Jitendra Jain

On a recent (and first time) trip to Beirut, I had a chance to experience, first-hand, the city formerly touted at the “Paris of the East”. An unexpected fog veiled our approach to Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, but did offer a few tantalizing glimpses of the azure waters and ample beaches of the city. The trip by taxi from the airport to the hotel wasn’t particularly impressive, since the scattering of dilapidated and war-ridden buildings along the way do create a depressing image.

The Four Points by Sheraton in Le Verdun was a sight for sore eyes after the journey, with a cool, trendy atmosphere and super-efficient service. The rooms were surprisingly spacious too and offered the perfect retreat to recharge for the work and play ahead.
After a hectic day of presentations and meetings, it was good to walk into the crisp, cool air and go exploring. The sea was a 5 minute walk away, and further explorations led us to quite a vibrant dining and shopping complex. ‘Downtown’ Beirut was quite a cosmopolitan experience too…a melting pot full of world renowned brand names and local culture and tradition. The most striking feature of the downtown area, though, has to be the beautiful mosque and the church, built opposite each other, in Martyr’s Square.

I had always heard that the Lebanese had quite a fondness for dining, and the plethora of restaurants in the city amply attested to this fact. We experimented with traditional Lebanese cuisine in a restaurant offering a panoramic view of the sea and the famous Rawche Rock…and I must say that the view and food impressed equally! Sampling wide variety of mézzah (appetizers) was a fun experience with our group and the food was fresh and appetizing. We opted for another ‘bite’ (literally!) of traditional Lebanese food on our way up to the mountains the next day. The restaurant, nestled by the side of the mountain, was the ideal mid-way point to take a look around and enjoy the cool air and snappy, eager-to-please service by the owner and his band of cheerful assistants.

Our trip up to the mountains, to Faraya, was definitely the highlight of my trip. Our journey by bus took approximately one and a half hours, and transported us to our very own ‘Switzerland’, yet a lot closer to home (and cheaper too!). The snow was still quite fresh and coated everything with a white, pure blanket of pure bliss. Our group of over 15 people spent the next couple of hours whizzing up and down peaks and valleys on our rented snow-mobiles and engaged in a snow-fight or two, before wrapping up the trip with snowman-building competition. Headed back to the city, we had a short stopover at the Intercontinental Mzaar to warm up before the fireplace in the lobby and grab a cup of delicious hot chocolate…could the day have been any better?

No visit to Beirut could be complete without checking out the nightlife…and the city’s reputation is certainly well deserved – the city’s night spots were literally swarming with party-goers. We took in a dose of Arabic karaoke and a spot of Lebanese Boogie (some more than others) and finally headed home, tired but euphoric. I was surprisingly reluctant to pack my bags for good old Bahrain, but eventually made the effort and got a move on…vowing to return to this charming city of contrasts…even if only for my next snowball fight!

Photos from the trip: http://thetalentjungle.com/beirut_2006

This article was featured in the Gulf Weekly, March 22-29, 2006, Page 5 (Travel)

tags: beirut, travel, lebanon